Joint bid qualifies for Capitol’s P252.7M equipment project

CEBU, Philippines - Only one supplier qualified for post-qualification evaluation in the ongoing bidding for the P252.7 million heavy equipment project of the provincial government.

 The joint venture of ConEquip Philippines and RDAK Transport Equipment, Inc. has posted the lowest calculated bid of P227.4 million.

 Mark Tolentino, chairman of Capitol's Bids and Awards Committee, said the next step is to review the bid documents to make sure specifications and requirements are complied with.

The Provincial Board also has to authorize Governor Hilario Davide III to award the project to the qualified bidder, as well as enter into a loan agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines for P200 million to pay for the equipment.

Five suppliers initially wanted to participate in the bidding but only two were present yesterday.

However, D'Limitless Vehicle Corporation was declared "non-complying" after its omnibus statement was found not notarized.

The other three suppliers, TKC Heavy Industries, Civic Merchandising and JVF Commercial, no longer submitted their bids.

 Last November 16, JVF Commercial sought clarification on the amendments made by BAC in its supplemental bid bulletin, which was not raised during the pre-bid conference. These include the deletion of "G7 standard" and limiting the bid to firms with an office and service center in Cebu City.

 Group of Seven (G7) is an international organization officially established in 1985 to facilitate economic cooperation among the world's largest industrial nations which include Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

 Tolentino said even if the bid is opened to all suppliers, BAC would still have to review the specifications of brand new equipment offered by ConEquip/RDAK to see if these are responsive to what the province requires.

 The bidding yesterday was the second call to suppliers of heavy equipment after Davide declared the July bid as a failure to dispel doubts on the integrity of procurement at the Capitol in light of accusations of overpricing.

 For the earlier bidding, the joint venture of RDAK Transport Equipment, Inc. and Nelson Lee Construction submitted the Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bid of P235 million, followed by Civic Merchandising with P237 million.

 But ConEquip Philippines was declared the winning bidder with P250 million despite having been disqualified in the pre-qualification stage.

 The bidding involves the supply and delivery of new construction equipment and light and heavy equipment, including Hydraulic Excavator, Crawler Tractor, Wheel Loader, Motor Grader, Vibratory Roller, Forklift, Man Lift, Self Loader, 4×2 Dump Truck, Water Truck and Boom Truck for use in provincial road construction and maintenance under the Office of the Provincial Engineer. (FREEMAN)